It is very interesting writing the title of the post as coming back to the apartment in Toulouse after having such a great visit with the Field children, their spouses and children (spouse and grandchildren) did feel like I was returning home. I think that is a good sign for my little adventure of living in France.

I got up in the morning and did a run in Wilton. I ran along the wall that encompasses the Wilton House estate and then ran out of pavement (sidewalk) so turned down a small road and followed it through the village of Quidhampton (there are lots of little villages in the Salisbury and Chalke Valley area). The village consisted of about 20-24 cottages and then I began to run beside sheep farms, recreation areas and just lovely scenery.

As I was running, a bicyclist (on a reclining bike) rode by me and said hello. Then he added, “you are going to get wet today”. It was a drizzly morning and I was slightly damp but luckily the rain held off until I got back to the Greyhound.

Susan, Nigel and Sarah came and joined me for a cup of coffee/tea before Susan and Nigel graciously dropped me at the Salisbury train station for my return to London.

I got to London and wandered along the south bank of the Thames river past the London Eye, the huge, iconic Ferris wheel on the bank of the river. I proceeded over Westminster Bridge and walked past the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

I saw the very famous statute of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square along with a number of other famous politicians and leaders.

Stopped for some tea and a custard tart, and then proceeded to Paddington Station where I caught the Elizabeth line train out to Heathrow for my flight to Toulouse. The crowds in Heathrow on a Friday evening are massive. I am so used to Reagan National where everything is easy and definitely manageable. I have to say that the airport security was very manageable which made for an easy passage through that part of the process.

Unfortunately, the flight was delayed by a little over an hour and I had baked in plenty of time (probably too much) as I had not been to Heathrow to board a plane in ages (had transferred through Heathrow). So I had plenty of waiting time in the airport. I found a place to have a pint and something to eat so that consumed a large part of my waiting time.

The flight to Toulouse was uneventful (a little turbulence as the weather was somewhat stormy). Once I got to Toulouse it was after midnight and the Navette Aéroport shuttle was no longer running. I thought about an Uber but it late and I had not tried Uber in Toulouse so opted for a taxi instead. I saw the line of taxis and walked up to the front one to ask him to take me to where the apartment is. He said I could not just get in the taxi where he was but had to go to specific spot. I guess they do not want people jumping the queue but I found it very amusing because I walked over to where he told me and he drove up to that spot and I got in and off we went.

All in all the trip to England to see the Field children and families and attend Diana’ memorial service was a fantastic! It is amazing how easy it was to fall back into conversation and explore our lives since we last saw each other. I never felt there was any awkwardness for having not seen each other in many years and not spending significant time together over the years. Everyone went out their way to include me and we had wonderful meals together and I had an incredible time. Thanks to the gracious and wonderful hosts!